film

An essential piece in the jigsaw of any rounded appreciation of 20th-century cinema, François Truffaut's emotional, freewheeling Jules et Jim (1962) somehow manages to feel like a contemporary 1960s piece while actually being set before and after the First World War. Adapted from Henri-Pierre Roché’s semi-autobiographical novel, it follows two fast friends in Paris – the reserved Austrian emigre Jules and the sparky Frenchman Jim – whose friendship is put to the test by their mutual love for the enigmatic and beautiful Catherine, played to perfection by Jeanne Moreau in one of her defining roles.

The out-of-time Swinging Sixties vibe derives both from the characters' personalities and from Truffaut's signature filming and storytelling techniques – his rapid editing, freeze-frames, voiceover narration and restless camera imbue the film with a glorious liberty, spontaneity, lightness and lyricism.